Missoula Montana (7/30 - 7/31)

The ride to Missoula turned out to be a difficult one. We had a couple of long upgrades and after the second one (which was all single lane construction with an up grade of 8%) we stopped in a roadside rest. When I did my walk around I discovered that I had not properly sealed the oil fill cap. The result was oil all over the back of the bus and the car. An awful mess. We spent about and hour wiping off what we could, sealed the cap, and went on our way. Needless to say when we arrived in Missoula we visited the carwash as soon as we were settled. We went to Wally World and bought a throw away brush an bucket and a big bottle of dawn.

That night was another martini night at Outback after the car washing was successful. The next morning was a major wash job on the rear of the bus. All ended well.

Not really a lot to see in Missoula. It's a jumping off point for Glacier NP bound visitors, they have a smoke jumpers training school at the airport, and the University of Montana is here. We visited a local museum on Sunday and then went to church at Saint Xavier Catholic Church on Sunday night. This was a beautiful church and the priest has a bunch of family in North Carolina. A nice mass.

Next morning we were off to Big Timber, Mt our boogie stop on the way to Cody.

Pictures to follow.

River rafters on the Clarks Fork River. Our beautiful ride to Missoula.

A few climbs on I90. Beautiful scenery.

These are blades for a windmill. Each on is on two train cars.

The entire train.

Missoula Museum. Interesting local history.

Our home in Missoula.

Found boots for Eileen in the museum. I just need to buy her a pistol.

Sunday night mass at Saint Xavier.

Beautiful Church.

Coeur D' Alen, Idaho (7/27 - 7/30)

Today is August 6th and I'm trying to catch up on my posts. On Wednesday the 27th of July we left our little cozy campground and headed to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The trip continued along the Little Salmon River and then up on a high plateau. I have never seen so much wheat in one place in my life. There were spots where you could look miles in either direction and just see the golden wheat fields. It was really serene and beautiful.

The campground in Coeur d'Alene is at the tip of a little peninsula near the main downtown. It was a very convenient location for touring the area. After a little ride into the town to get our bearings we came back to the campground and then went to the Cedars, a floating restaurant near the campground. A unique experience with great food. It was certainly in a convenient location for us.

On Thursday we kicked around the shops in the town, visited the Coeur d'Alene Resort and shops and had a great lunch in Beverly's restaurant on the 7th floor of the Resort. Good lunch , great view.
In the afternoon we road along a portion of the lake past the resort golf course.

On day three we shopped again and got ready for our dinner cruise on the lake. The cruise started at 7:00 and we arrived a little early to make sure we could get parking. When we got to the dock there was a group of people huddled in the shade of the ticket booth. We asked to share their shade and met some interesting people. It was a family that meets once a year (just the adults) in different places just to catch up. We were asked to join them for dinner and we had a great time on the boat.

The dinner was a buffet serving prime rib and salmon, plus salad, potatoes, etc. Not bad for a boat. The food is catered by the Coeur d'Alene Resort. We cruised the lake until after dark then returned to the dock. A very pleasant evening.

The area around the lake is very pretty and there are a number of activities that are mostly tied to the water. Paragliding, skiing, boating, fishing etc. Very nice. I had expected more of the town and was a little disappointed with the shops. The really sad thing about our time here, at least for me, was that it meant we were turning right and heading for home. I liked this town but I have to say that we saw many prettier places than this during our trip. Our next stop is Missoula, Montana.

I'll post the pictures soon.

New friends on the dinner cruise.

Sunset on Lake Coeur d'Alene

A young fellow from Viet Nam took the picture. He wanted us to get in front of the flag. A flag he said representing the best country in the world.

This house id named the cliff house. What do you think?

One of the small homes along the lake.

This is one house. The owner of The Coeur d'Alene Resort. To bad it was already dark.

View from the Resort of the marina.

Took this one from a picture.

On the streets of Coeur d'Alene

You can ride the rabbits here.

This is the famous floating green at the Coeur d'Alene Resort golf course.

A sad day for one of us. This picture was taken as I'm turning East on I90 in Coeur d'Alene heading for home.